Contents [hide]

Bridgeman History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Bridgeman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Bridgeman comes from when its first bearer worked as a dweller by or "keeper of the bridge" in various parts of England.

Early Origins of the Bridgeman family

The surname Bridgeman was first found in Sussex where one of the first records of the name was John Brygeman who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of that county in 1296. The next reference of the name was John Bregman who was listed in 1310 in Essex. 1

A few years later, John Bruggemon was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire of 1332. The same reference listed two versions of the following entry: William Breggeman and William atte Bregge. In the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379, we found Johannes Brigeman. 2

Early History of the Bridgeman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bridgeman research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1568, 1577, 1606, 1638, 1640, 1642, 1646, 1647, 1649, 1652, 1671, 1674, 1682, 1685, 1687, 1692, 1695, 1699, 1701, 1764, 1847, 1878, 1928 and 1990 are included under the topic Early Bridgeman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bridgeman Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Bridgeman include Bridgeman, Bridgman and others.

Early Notables of the Bridgeman family

Distinguished members of the family include

Dr. John Bridgeman (1577-1652), Bishop of Chester who purchased the manor of Great Lever from the Assheton family, re-built the Hall, and resided here during some part of the Rebellion. The Bishop's e...
Sir John Bridgeman (1568-1638) was Chief Justice of Chester; Henry Bridgeman, DD (died 1682), an Anglican clergyman, the Bishop of Sodor and Man from 1671 to 1682; Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet S...

Bridgeman Ranking

In the United States, the name Bridgeman is the 7,496^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Bridgeman family to Ireland

Some of the Bridgeman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bridgeman migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bridgeman or a variant listed above:

Bridgeman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Bridgeman, who settled in Virginia in 1663
Walter Bridgeman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1683 4
Walter Bridgeman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1684

Bridgeman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bridgeman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Ebenezer Bridgeman U.E. born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 5

Bridgeman migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bridgeman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Bridgeman, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
Thomas Bridgeman, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" in 1837 7
Mr. Joseph Bridgeman, (b. 1823), aged 22, English quarry man who was convicted in Somerset, England for 15 years for robbery, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 8
Amelia Bridgeman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anglia" in 1851 9
George Bridgeman, aged 14, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Star Queen" 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bridgeman migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bridgeman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Bridgeman, (b. 1863), aged 16, Cornish farm labourer departing on 29th May 1879 aboard the ship "Famenoth" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th September 1879 11
Mr. Richard B. Bridgeman, (b. 1867), aged 16, Cornish farm labourer departing on 31st January 1883 aboard the ship "Rangitiki" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 7th May 1883 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Bridgeman (post 1700) +

George Brant Bridgeman (1864-1943), American artist, teacher and author
Noel A. 'Nollaig' Bridgeman (1946-2021), Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the blues rock band Skid Row
Henry Bridgeman (1725-1800), 1st Baron Bradford, British peer and politician
Orlando Bridgeman (1762-1825), 1st Earl of Bradford, a British peer and politician
George Augustus Frederick Henry Bridgeman (1789-1865), 2nd Earl of Bradford, a British peer
Orlando George Charles Bridgeman PC DL, (1819-1898), 3rd Earl of Bradford, British courtier and Conservative politician, Lord Chamberlain of the Household (1866-1868), Master of the Horse (1874-1880) and (1885-1886)
George Cecil Orlando Bridgeman DL JP (1845-1915), 4th Earl of Bradford, a British soldier and peer
Henry George Orlando Bridgeman DSO, MC, DL, JP (1882-1972), British soldier, Justice of the Peace for Northumberland in 1945
Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Orlando Ronald Bridgeman TD, DL (1933-2013), British military officer, High Sheriff of Northumberland (1975)
Sir Maurice Richard Bridgeman, British businessman and civil servant
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Bridgeman Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nec Temere Nec Timide
Motto Translation: Neither rashly nor timidly.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) KATHERINE STEWART FORBES 1837 arrived Holdfast Bay, near Adelaide, on October 17, 1837. . Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837KatherineStewartForbes.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ANGLIA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Anglia.gif
South Australian Register Monday 1st January 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Star Queen 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/starqueen1854.shtml
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Auckland 1872-80 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf